Seed-germinator.



LE ROY M. SMITH.

SEED GERMINATOR.

APPLICATION FILED Aus. Is. IsIfI.

1,285,439, Patented N0v.19,1918.

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I lay LE ROY M. SMITH.

y SEED GERMINATOR. APPLlcAnoN man Aufme. |915.

Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

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IAE ROY M. SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SEED-GERMINATOR.

Speoioation of Lettersatent.

Application filed August 16, 1915.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Ln ROY M. SMrrH, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Germinators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

My invention relates to seed germinating apparatus, its general object being to provide simple and eflicient means whereby a large variety of seeds may be simultaneously subjected to the warmth, moisture and light required for ,germinating fth'e same, and whereby the progress of theA germination may readily be ascertained without disturbing the seeds. More particularly, my invention aims to provide a seed-testing apparatus which will readily admit light and which can easily and safely be transported; to provide adjustable and inexpensive means for separating the various batches of seeds which are being simultaneously tested in a given tray, and for conveying moisture uniformly to all of the seeds in the tray; to provide means for holding an absorbent seed-supporting sheet parallel to, but entirely out of contact with, the level of the water in each tray, and for preventing such a sheet from sagging; to provide means for permitting trays of varying depths and spacings to be used in the same cabinet, and for permitting the speedy removal of any or all of the trays; to provide effective means for concentrating the heat of one or more heating units on the interior of the cabinet, and to provide simple, safe and effective means for manipulating a glass door of the cabinet to afford access to the interior and for holding such amovable glass side securely in its normal position; Further objects will appear from the following specification and from the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a seed testing apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section longitudinally through the apparatus of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Y

Fig. 4L is a plan view of one of the trays.

base.

PatenrtcdI N Ov. 19, 1918.

Serial No. 45,691.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section through one of the trays.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section of a front corner portion of the apparatus, taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the spring-actuated catch which normally holds the sliding door in its raised position.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section showing the catch and the lower end of the door.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of one of the loops on the frame of the apparatus.

Fig. 10 is a similar view of the upper or hook end of one of the risers on the racks supporting the trays.

In the embodiment of the drawings, the apparatus of my invention comprises a skeleton frame, preferably of galvanized angle iron, having four corner posts 1 connected at the top by angle irons and also connected intermediate of their height by a sheet metal base 2. These angle irons and the said base form frames for a top plate of glass 3 and three side panes 4, all of which are preferably secured tightly to the said frame work so as to reduce the diffusion of warmed air from the interior of the glass casing bordered by the said panes andthe said metal The forward end of the said casing is also inclosed with glass, but the pane used for this purpose is preferably slidably mounted s o that it may be lowered to afford access to the interior of the casing. Thus, each lateral edge of the front pane 5 may slidably fit a guide 6 secured to one of the front corner posts (as shown in Fig. 6), and this pane when raised to its normal position may be held there by a suitable latch, to provide for this latching and also for manipulating the Said pane without cutting the hands of the operator, I preferably incase the lower end of this pane with a strip of sheet metal 7 lapped over the glass as in Fig. 8 and presenting a horizontal ledge 8 which aords a convenient handle formanipulating the glass pane, I then interpose in the path 0f the inwardly lapped portion of this metal strip a latch 9 slidably mounted in a metal band 10 extending across the front of the appliance immediately below the lowest tray, which latch is continually pressed forwardby a-spring 1 1 and is normally projected by the' said spring -into itsholding` position as shown in Fig. 8.

The band 10 forms one of the four` sides Y ablyhas only a verysmall-vent openingat one side for admitting airto it, I mount a heating element, such as an electric hot plate l2, by means of which the air within the drum may be warmed to the desired degree. I also preferably coat all 0f the interior of the drum excepting the top plate 2 with a heateinsulating material, such as asbestes, thereby preventing lateral and downward radiation 0f the heat from the heating element 12 and concentrating this heat upon the plate 2 by which it is transmitted tothe interior of the glass casing. Suspended within this glass casing by racks are a plurality of'metal trays 111 each containing a supply of Water and each having a sheet 15 of moisture-pervious material (such as blotting paper) supported above the water 18 and out ofcontact with the latter. T o hold each of the said pervious and preferably moistureeabsorbent sheets in its normal position and to prevent such sheets from sagging into the water at one or more points, I preferably 'support each sheet 15 upon a vlarge number of riser elements 17 secured to the bottom 16 of the corresponding tray. These riser elements are preferably spaced substantially uniformly, as shownin Fig. el., and may desirably consist of upward bends formed in metal strips 19 soldered to the bottom 16 of the trays as in Fig.` 5.

Upon each of the pervious sheets 15 I distribute the different groups of seeds which are to be simultaneously subjected to the light entering through the glass panes,

to the Warmth due to the heating element, and to the moisture evaporated from the water in the trays and distributed fairly evenly over the sheets by capillary action within the latter, to prevent the seeds 0f the respective groups from mixing or shifting in position when the trays are being moved into or out of the easing, or when the whole apparatus is being moved about, I preferably fence off each group by means of strips 20 laid upon the sheets 15. For this purpose I provide narrow strips of thick blotting paper, preferably of the same length as the sheets 15, which may be torn or cut tothe desired length so as to accommodate differ-y ent sized groups of seeds. By'slightly moistening these strips before placing them in position, the resulting film of moisture betweenl the strips and the sheets will hold the former in place without the use of any ad-` *the top and suitably coated with a rust-preventing coating, such as a baked japan, which coating is preferably applied after -theriser strips are secured 1n the trays. For

supporting the trays, I preferably provide near each side of the casing a pair of detachably suspended hangers 21 carrying a plurality of angle irons 22 extending horizontally lengthwise of the casing, as in Fig. 3, so'that these angle irons willform guideways upon which the trays may readily be slid into or out 0f the casing.

In the drawings, each hanger 21has at itsvupper end a hook formation 23 presenting a tip entering a loop 241 supported by the frame Work of the appliance. After removing the trays, thehooks 23 may be disengaged from the said loops by raising the suspendedracks, thus permitting these racks to be removed from the casing for safer packing or to be replaced by racks having a different spacing between the trays, and also permitting access to the glass sides for cleaning'the latter or for replacing them if accidentally broken. It will be evident that by supportingeach of the moisture-pervious sheets at a plurality of points and by supports Obscuring very little of the lower sur face ofthe sheet, Ivpermit access of the moisture levaporated from the liquid to practically the entire under surface of the sheet, thereby 'obtainingra uniformity of mo1s`tening not obtainable when the water is fed by wicks to parts of the sheet 'and hence securing an equal supply of moisture to all of the seeds on the sheet. I-Iovvever,l I do not wish to be limited to the particular construction of detachable racks, nor to the use of an electrically actuated heating element, nor to other of the details herein disclosed, it being obvious that many changes might be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a seed germinator, a pan, a sheet of moisture-pervious material disposed therein, and a plurality of strips secured to the bottom of the pan and equipped with upwardly extending bends of equal height for' supporting said sheet.

2. In a seed germinator, an absorbent sheet of material for supporting a plurality of groups of seeds, a series of strips of absorbent material arranged in superimposed relation'on said sheet, said strips being independentl of eachother and freely movable bothwithrelation to said sheet and'each other so as to serveas adjustable partitions to form individual spaces of varying sizes and arrangements to receive .the` various groups of seeds, and'means to'subject the sheet to the action of moisture so as to retain the strips in place thereon and against sliding by and through transference of the moisture thereto.

3. A seed germinator including a casing, a plurality of trays, and supporting means for said trays, said means comprising a plurality of angle-sectioned guides disposed at each side of the casin and secured to uprights, the said uprig ts being supported by said casing but manually detachable from the latter.

4. A seed germinator including a casing having a frontal opening bordered laterally by uprights, a vertically slidable glass door carried by said uprights, an edge strip straddling the lower edge of said glass door and projecting forwardly thereof, and latching means carried -by the casing and normally engaging said edge strips for supporting the door.

5. A seed germinator including a casing having a metal bottom, a drum underneath the casing and separated therefrom by the said metal bottom, a heating element disposed within said drum, and a lining of heat-insulatinoi material upon the bottom and sides of said drum for causing the heat of said element to be concentrated upon the .said metal bottom and to be transmitted thereby to the interior of the casing.

6. A seed germinator including a casing having a frontal opening bordered laterally by opposed rooved formations, a transparent front idably mounted in the said grooved formations, legs supporting said casing and grooved formations, a stop upon one leg for limiting the downward sliding of the said front, and a spring-actuated latch projecting into the path of said front and normally supporting the latter.

7. In a seed germinator, a water pan having a multiplicity of spaced projections extending upwardly from its bottom, and arranged to form a row along and next to each side and each end of the pan, the projections being spaced both longitudinally and transversely of the pan and a flat sheet of blotting paper seated at its under face directly on top of said projections, said projections covering an area approximately equal to that of the sheet of blotting paper so as to uniformly support the latter in a horizonal plane.

LE ROY M. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, ID. C. 

